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Today is National Bacon Day!

Posted about five months ago by Sue Bonzell

Now that's what I call a holiday! National Bacon Day will be celebrated today, Monday, December 30th. In honor of this great day, I wanted to share my favorite recipe using bacon that I have been making for years!

Bacon Wrapped, Cheese Stuffed Jalepenos

The fun part about this is that it's like playing Jalepeno Roulette! Some are mild and some are just plain smokin' hot! And you never know until you bite into it. I used local bacon from Black Pig Bacon Company and it really makes a difference! It is made with spices and brown sugar, so you get extra flavor!

Ingredients:

12 Fresh Jalepenos (pick medium size so they are easier to stuff)

8 oz package Cream Cheese (room temperature)

1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese - Shredded

2 Tablespoons milk

12 slices of Bacon - Black Pig Bacon Co.

1 tablespoon bacon grease

Salt & Pepper

Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Cut off the tops of the jalepenos and remove the gill and all seeds with a small knife.

2. Rinse the insides of them with water to be sure you have removed all of the seeds. Set aside.

3. In a cast iron pan, heat the bacon grease to just barely smoking. This means the pan is the right temperature.

4. Place the cleaned peppers into the pan and turn them occasionally to get a good blister on them. This will help dissapate some of the heat of the jalepenos.

5. Mix cream cheese, shredded cheese and salt and pepper together.

6. Add milk slowly to the cheese mixture for a frosting texture.

7. Place the cheese mixture into a large ziploc bag and squeeze to one corner.

8. Cut off the corner of the bag allowing an opening big enough to squeeze the cheese into the jalepenos.

9. Stuff the cheese mixture into the hollowed out jalepenos using the ziploc bag.

10. Wrap each stuffed jalepeno with bacon and secure with a toothpick.

11. Place them on a tray and freeze them for about 15 minutes. This will keep the cheese from melting out completely when grilling.

12. Remove from the freezer and place them on a hot grill or place the tray into the oven for baking.

13. If on the grill - turn them several times until the bacon is cooked, then remove from grill.

14. If in the oven, bake for approx 20 minutes keeping an eye on the bacon. When the bacon is cooked, remove the pan.

14. Let them cool for about 10 minutes (trust me, you don't want to bite into these babies right off the grill!)

If you'd like to read more delicious recipes using bacon, visit my personal blog SueBonzell.com